Ahot topic for the Club Racing Board is driver conduct,
where we continue to work
with the Executive Stewards to
develop an acceptable program
to improve our racing.

Racers live to race, not circulate
slowly while someone else’s bad
day is cleared away. But despite
racecars becoming more reliable,
the use of full-course yellows has
increased over recent decades
in the name of driver and worker
safety. So, how do we, as racers
and organizers, work together
to minimize the occurrence and
length of full-course cautions?

First, let’s start by stating
that since many racetracks have
different policies, for the purpose
of this article we’re going to focus
on VIRginia International Raceway
and the 2019 SCCA National
Championship Runoffs that will
take place there in October.

A full-course yellow is usually
prompted by at least one racecar
stranded in an unsafe location.

The easiest way to prevent thesefull-course yellows is to not crash orhave your car break on course. Thisis where the onus is on drivers andteams. Remember that if a sessionstops because of something youmight have prevented, the rest ofyour racing friends are looking atyou with some level of frustration.

Whether it was an ill-advised pass
attempt, losing control of your car,
or falling short while attempting
to limp a sick racecar back to the
pits, these are things that can
occasionally be prevented. Most
racetracks have “safe” areas
marked on course if you need to
pull off. Take some time to identify
where these are each weekend.

(Hint: at VIR, the openings in the
guardrail are painted orange.)

A venue like VIR has certainregulations in place that preventsafety teams from responding toa stranded or damaged vehicleuntil “racing” has been stopped,either with a full-course yellow,a black flag all, or somethingVIR calls Code 35 (similar to aVirtual Safety Car). With a goalof maximizing green flag time forqualifying and races at this year’sRunoffs, SCCA has taken severalsteps to help manage cautionsessions. One such measure willbe the use of multiple safety cars.

For the 2019 Runoffs races,
SCCA will utilize as many as three
safety cars stationed at various
locations around the track to
dispatch and find the leader
quickly. For qualifying, you may
see something new as well, with
the option for race control to
dispatch a safety car instead of
bringing out the black flag for
all drivers. The safety car would
gather the field rapidly and then
provide the opportunity to return
to a green course quickly with the
safety car exiting the track at the
auxiliary pit lane (near the Oak
Tree corner), or even the west side
along the back straight. Having
the pace car exit the circuit early
will allow racers to start a new
lap without needing a full out-lap
after the course returns to green-flag conditions, thus maximizing
at-speed time on course.

On-track cameras will beanother tool used to help managecaution sessions at this year’sRunoffs. The remotely controlledcameras can rotate and zoomin order to put more eyes ona situation. Primary eyes andassessment of incidents remainswith corner workers, but thecameras will offer a closer look, insome cases, and different anglesto help provide more information.The objective of the camerasystem is to better assess ifan on-track situation needsimmediate assistance, be it fromthe nearby corner workers oremergency vehicles. Additionally,each camera has its own videorecorder, so anything thatappeared on the camera canbe reviewed later - having thecamera views available afterwardwill be beneficial should therebe a protest or action.

While additional tools or
procedures can help these
situations, keeping the track
clean and green ultimately comes
down to the racers and their
crew. Officials, volunteer workers,
track staff, and drivers all play
important roles in maximizing
our time at speed, and together,
we can continue to make this
sport fast, fun, and safe.

CLEAN AND GREEN

Fewer cautions make for better racing, which is why the SCCA is hard at work, withan eye on the 2019 Runoffs | WORDS Peter Keane, Chairman, Club Racing Board | IMAGES Jeff Loewe

GOING GREEN

To maximize racing at this year’s
Runoffs, drivers are asked to be
thoughtful in order to minimize
full-course yellows (MAIN) and
keep the track green (BELOW).